Wednesday, March 30, 2005

German firm to launch tabloid in Western Europe

According to The Telegraph, German press giant Axel Springer plans to rejuvenate the sleepy European newspaper industry by introducing a tabloid red-top similar to The Sun and the Daily Mirror. The firm launched a racy daily in Poland in 2003 called Fakt, which has since reached a circulation of over 500,000. Following the firm's recent success in Poland, Axel Springer now hopes to target Spain, Italy, France and Scandinavia, with France being the most likely first target. While the main dailies in France face increasing declines in finances and readership, currently British style tabloids are relatively non-existent.